The goal of this project is to investigate the influence of local arterial wall norepinephrine on the development of atherosclerotic lesions in experimental animals. Using rabbits fed a lipid rich diet we will correlate the level of the catecholamines in the aorta with the degree of atherosclerosis in various regions of that vessel. The investigation will utilize light and electron microscopy, fluorescence microscopy, lipid and catecholamine assays techniques.